It's Monday, and in the midst of a dead period for football, here are ten thoughts about men's basketball's loss to Arizona State, some assorted football thoughts, and other notes on Cal Athletics.
1. Matt Bradley and the Earned Game
Matt Bradley has undoubtedly been the most consistent Cal basketball player this year. He's scored in double figures in all but one game. He's the best shot creator on the Cal team. He'll make at least one jab-step three per game. He's also the emotional center for the Bears. He cares. His teammates take notice.
"Matt’s a warrior," senior point guard Paris Austin noted after their 80-75 loss to Arizona State, "I’d pick him on my team anytime. Love that dude.”
That's how Bradley has been since he was playing for Team Eleate on the AAU circuit, taking on a stacked Compton Magic squad and not backing down. Bradley's second half explosion was reminiscent of that, as the San Bernardino native hit four threes in the second half, including one off the dribble coming off a screen that had a high degree of difficulty.
At the end of the game, as Remy Martin turned into an equivalent supernova for Arizona State, Bradley ended up fouling out, and the photographer from USA Today Sports caught this moment.
This is one of the reasons why people follow college athletics, and sports in general. It's the emotion, the competitiveness, the fire, and everything in between. Bradley shows that, and it's why I'm willing to bet that he's a future Pac-12 player of the year. A Sunday game against Arizona State means this much.
There are things that he has to figure out moving forward, with avoiding some of the early foul trouble that's plagued him topping the list. He has the important things figured out, with the skillset and the want to get better, and that's the foundation the team needs.
2. Growth of Anticevich
Bradley did end up with two fouls in the first 1:20 of game time, which meant Cal had to ford the rough waters against Arizona State. Anticevich stepped up, with 14 points in the first half. Mark Fox used him in the more frequently, thanks to a more favorable matchup on the interior for him against Mickey Mitchell and Elias Valtonen, which he exploited on two straight possessions:
- Anticevich got the entry pass, felt the double team coming, shoveled a pass to Lars Thiemann for an easy layup
- Next time down, same look, but a quick spin over the left shoulder gave the Aussie a layup.
It's part of his development as a potential second option for the Bears. Anticevich has developed an outside game (though he had three shots against the Arizona schools where he could have taken one step back and had threes) this year, and his continued development as an inside out scorer should open up more opportunities for the likes of Andre Kelly, Thiemann, and DJ Thorpe.
3. What's the Next Step?
After the Oregon game, I overheard athletic director Jim Knowlton telling Mark Fox that 'this is going to pay off.' Cal is competing again. That said, it takes more that just competing to win, as shown by the Bears' four game losing streak.
As far as the next step to end the year, it's getting a win on the road over the final two road series', with a trip to the Washington schools ripe with opportunity (given UW's struggles in conference play). A trip to the Oregon schools is a bit more difficult. From there, it's about getting another win in conference play, potentially getting a win in the Pac-12 Tournament, and ending the year on a high note.
From there, the Bears will need to add another guard, with Tyrin Lawrence and Devin Carter being the bigger targets in the class. From there, the expectation has to be an above .500 record and a potential post-season tournament for the 2020-21 season.
